Her name was possibly Margaret Ellen McRae. Ellen was born in Wick, Caithness, Scotland, apparently the daughter of Peter and Margaret (Fraser). The family story says that she left there in the 1830's as a Nanny with a family to the south of England where her employers sailed away leaving her behind so she was out of a job. She stayed in the Devonshire area where she met John Oatway, a Stone Mason with his father by Barnstaple. They married on June 3, 1834 and started a family in 1835 with children Richard McCrae, Mary Ann Fraser and William Henry. Shortly after their fourth child George Brodie Oatway died during the Devonshire crop failure period of the 1830s-40's, they emigrated to Canada West, formerly called Upper Canada. She worked hard on their new property and bore a large family of four more children, Sarah Jane, Margaret Helen, Elizabeth Matilda, and Jessie Clara. On Sundays, if John was far away working, she would ride her horse sidesaddle to church in nearby Perth. The photo of her and John was taken in a studio in Perth, Canada West (Ontario) in 1861. (too bad it's not in colour as she had beautiful blue eyes)
Her name was possibly Margaret Ellen McRae. Ellen was born in Wick, Caithness, Scotland, apparently the daughter of Peter and Margaret (Fraser). The family story says that she left there in the 1830's as a Nanny with a family to the south of England where her employers sailed away leaving her behind so she was out of a job. She stayed in the Devonshire area where she met John Oatway, a Stone Mason with his father by Barnstaple. They married on June 3, 1834 and started a family in 1835 with children Richard McCrae, Mary Ann Fraser and William Henry. Shortly after their fourth child George Brodie Oatway died during the Devonshire crop failure period of the 1830s-40's, they emigrated to Canada West, formerly called Upper Canada. She worked hard on their new property and bore a large family of four more children, Sarah Jane, Margaret Helen, Elizabeth Matilda, and Jessie Clara. On Sundays, if John was far away working, she would ride her horse sidesaddle to church in nearby Perth. The photo of her and John was taken in a studio in Perth, Canada West (Ontario) in 1861. (too bad it's not in colour as she had beautiful blue eyes)
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